One man's Gamechanger comp truck build

[garyk]

I'm kinda new to crawlers and it's nice to see what other people do with their builds, so I'm gonna show one of mine in case it may help out others. I've only done three competitions but I'm looking to do a bunch more. This truck is basically built for Class 2 Sorrca competition and it's all built on the Gamechanger 4.2 chassis by The Crawl Space with titanium links also from them. I'm still tweaking the build and setup as I learn what works and what I like but here is the current state.

The idea was to try to keep it light with good weight distribution while maxing out the scale points. Hardbody seems like the easiest route to that for now so that's what I did with a clodbuster body that I've modified with drop bed, pinch, and dovetail. Add some metal work for custom bumpers and roll bar. Some 3d printing for various things like front body mount brace, battery mount, and scale items. SSD Diamond axles with some Samix brass bits and shocks from Dlux. Currently running Holmes ESC and Crawlmaster motor. Hitec steering servo and a servo winch from InTheWorks. I use 650mah 3s packs in it.

Really nothing special as far as the build, just a basic scale comp rig geared towards performance. In my limited experience it seems to work really well though, that Gamechanger chassis is definitely an awesome choice to build on. I'm still trying other chassis and setups but so far this is my favorite I think.

Anyway, here are some pics...

[Topher Builds]

Good looking set up right there. Glad to hear you’re enjoying this one. The silver hardware on those wheels pops nicely.

[B-MOW71]

Great looking build! It should be a performer!

[Robotboy]

Looks great!
I've been enjoying building mine.

[garyk]

Thanks guys. Had it out on the rocks today, it's working so well I think I'll leave it alone now (which is hard for me to do as I like to tinker with everything).

[Highmark]

Great looking rig - should do very well!

[TK421]

Holy god! That is freaking awesome! I'm solid with mechanics but body work I need help with. What is the best way to go about getting that taper to the front and rear? Can this be done with a lexan body?

Lou

[garyk]

Thanks guys. TK421, the front is easy, just cut a pie slice out on each side. Then use a heat gun to bend it in. Use some kind of plastic weld to 'glue' it. I used MEK along with a slurry of MEK and styrene bits to build up the seam a bit on the back side for strength. The plastic weld products along with MEK pretty much melt the pieces together. The bed can be done in a similar way to the front, but on mine I also dropped the bed floor so it was more involved. This was my first styrene body and it really is fairly easy to work with. Plenty of help on the internet if you search too. You can do it with lexan but the end result likely won't look quite as nice. People use shoe goo or similar to glue lexan together, maybe with screws or rivets for more strength. I haven't done this on a lexan body yet so I don't know that much about it.

[TK421]

That’s sweet action bro, thanks for the reply. I’ve been watching YouTube and the google machine since I saw this thread this afternoon. If you have means to post a vid would be awesome. Thanks again!

Lou

[garyk]

I don't have any pics of the clod buster body in progress, but here are a few I happen to have of an F350 I did for another truck. It kinda shows the process. Scale Builders Guild has some videos on working with styrene, that's where I learned of the styrene 'slurry' that I'm using to fill in large gaps and build up thickness.

[garyk]

And, since I don't want to bust up my clod body on the Gamechanger, I'll mainly run it for comps. I found that the Jconcepts Creep body fits *really* good on this truck with the same bumpers I custom built to fit the clod body. I just had to make some narrower electronics trays. So this is my lexan 'basher' body for it:

[TK421]

Oh man, Thanks for sharing! I was actually looking at the f-350 body for my build. I love the SBG vids so I’ll have to look that up. Thanks again brother.

Lou

[avdk]

Thanks for the post. This is exactly what I about to do. Just waiting for the GC stage 3 to be in stock.

[radchad]

Looks rad. I have GC4.2 with a cold body as well, it performs well.


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[twade984]

Looks good! I’m fascinated with these flat rail comp trucks, particularly when they look this good.

What is wheelbase? Just curious

[garyk]

Thanks guys. Wheelbase is 12.5".

I changed it up a bit but don't have any current pics. I scratch built a basic interior and removed the windows, also removed the roll bar and a couple other bits from the bed. Still maxes out Sorrca scale points but has a little better CoG. I'm fighting an injury but hoping I'll feel up to hitting a competition this weekend (would be only the second one with this truck).

[TK421]

Well, feel better, kick ass, and post pics!

Lou

[garyk]

Thanks TK421...

I made it to the comp and well, the truck was awesome. Took 1st in class 2! I decided to run my Proline 1.9 swampers stretched on 2.2 wheels and it turned out to be a good decision for the courses and conditions, they worked well.

Here's a few pics from yesterday (apparently taken before I hit the muddy sections):

[garyk]

Keen eyes may spot different shocks from the Dravtechs I was originally using. I took them off because I wanted to run them inverted but they kept leaking in that configuration, so for now I put my Enduro kit shocks on in their place. I was able to set them up to have pretty much the same droop as the Dravtechs (critical IMHO) and they worked well. I don't know what it is with this set of Dravtechs, they just seep oil from the caps while my other set is completely leak free from day one. Sent them in to Dlux to let him take a look, but the Enduro kit shocks are *really* good.

[TK421]

Sweet F*ing action! Good job bro, the truck looks great and I’m glad you were able to get out.

Lou